NASET News Alert

White House Solicits Input From Disability Community

December 07, 2012

When President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden sat down last Friday with leaders from special interest groups to discuss the impending fiscal cliff, at least one disability advocate was at the table. Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc, was one of 13 leaders representing groups including AARP, the NAACP and the Human Rights Campaign at the afternoon meeting in the West Wing of the White House. The gathering was one of three sessions the president held with stakeholders last week as he looks to strike a deal with Congress to avert federal budget cuts scheduled to take effect in January. At that time, most federal programs are set to be slashed by at least 8.2 percent under a process known as sequestration, which was set in motion last year when Congress failed to reach a budget deal. Meanwhile, a series of tax cuts are set to expire as well. To read more, click here